The fall semester has officially kicked off, and the California heat is coming along for the ride. The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning through Friday, with temperatures well into the 90s this week and dropping minimally in the upcoming week of classes.

USC Environmental Health & Safety spoke with the Daily Trojan to offer advice on staying safe as temperatures stay high and to share how they’re addressing student concerns about the heat. Here is what Dick Sun, deputy director of EHS, had to say.

University preparation

According to Sun, EHS began preparing for this heat wave before students arrived. Sun said EHS started collaborating with student health to create a plan for the heat as soon as they could see the weather forecast for the beginning of the semester.

EHS released heat advisory notices on its website, and Sun said his department is also working to provide information on their website to help prevent heat illness for students.

“Anytime we start seeing a blip in an increase in temperatures, we have what we call this huddle group, that includes student health, our office, and a few others,” Sun said. “We get together and go through what messaging [we should] send out to the campus in preparation for [extreme heat] events like this week.”

Sun said EHS has been reminding students to find shade and water and to rest in the high temperatures.

“[We recommend] going back to common sense things that students can do,” Sun said. “Find a path that is shady and provides shade coverage at least. And then this way [students] can get to class without getting too warm, and then also really staying hydrated. Keep a water bottle. We have lots of water refilling stations on campus.”

Sun said the University is prepared for this weekend’s football game and will set up cooling centers around tailgates. EHS is also working with USC Facilities Planning and Management to move any outdoor events inside.

Student Health tips

In addition to sending out heat advisory notices, EHS and Student Health both released a list of precautions to take during the heat wave. Student Health’s website states that students should: Limit exposure to the sun; drink more water and limit caffeine; wear loose-fitting, light clothing; and watch for symptoms of heat stroke, which include headache, dizziness, nausea, passing out, a strong pulse and red, dry or damp skin.

Below these tips, Student Health’s website states that “extreme heat is deadly and kills more people than any other weather event.” Students experiencing symptoms of heat stroke should call the Department of Public Safety immediately if they’re on campus and call 911 if they are off campus.

Employee safety

EHS released a similar list of precautions for University employers to follow to keep employees safe. These include requiring employers to discuss with employees how to stay safe and recognize heat stroke, provide adequate water and medical access, lower the amount of physical work, and enforce work and rest schedules in shady areas.

Hot dorms and apartments

Several of USC’s residential buildings — namely New North, Birnkrant, Parkside Apartments, Pardee Tower and Marks Tower — do not have air conditioning units in each room.

EHS sent a letter to USC housing residents in these buildings, warning them of high temperatures outside and outlining their heat mitigation plan. The email stated that housing will work with residential facilities to keep stairway doors open and will provide fans. It also listed air-conditioned spaces within these buildings that residents have access to.

Sun said students living in off-campus spaces without air conditioning should utilize on-campus cool spaces during the day.

Air-conditioned spaces available to students during the day include Doheny Memorial Library and Leavey Library, residential dining halls, the Student Union and Sustainability Hub, and the Campus Center Trojan Family Room and Food Court, according to USC Housing.

During the day, Sun said students should find relief from the heat in those air-conditioned spaces; however, students should simply do their best to deal with temperatures at night.

“It’s been difficult; the nighttime weather hasn’t really come down much, temperature-wise, but at least you get some kind of cooling effect in the evening,” Sun said. “It’s still better than what’s happening during the day.”

Staying hydrated

Sun said one of his best tips for the heat wave is hydration. USC has water refill stations located across campus. Students, faculty and staff can find the nearest refill station using the University’s Sustainability Map.